I really liked those last couple of lines, with that moment of realisation where Holmes suddenly sees that everything he's felt from his injury is what Watson has to deal with all the time. Brilliant piece!

I've never been shot, but I did crash my bike when I was nine. The woman at the ER said I'd feel like I was "hit by a bus" and that first night was horrible. There were no positions that didn't hurt somewhere.

I enjoyed how Holmes compares this to his previous experiences of his body's limitations trying to dictate what he can do. Also how you never notice how often a body part is used, until it hurts every time you do. All sorts of normal activities are suddenly difficult: I spent the week after my bike crash on the couch because I'd needed 21 stitches in my leg. You have to learn to adapt, as Holmes does. Although, instead of being impatient to remove the dressings, I was hesitant, still protective of the injury.

I appreciated how it seemed that nature was conspiring against Holmes. Life does seem that way sometimes.

The end was the best part. I love how so much was implied, not said. I think a message is more powerful when the reader has to take a second and get it instead of being spoon-fed. That realization that he is living out a taste of Watson's life was a very well done and well chosen moment.

i often wondered if holmes ever considered the pain and limitations that Watson had adapted to post afghanistan... thank you for writing me an answer!

pebbles66 chapter 1 . 6/30/2009

Wow, very nice!

It's always humbling to experience for a short while what someone else goes through every day. That moment when Holmes realizes that Watson lives with this sort of pain every day is very much in character.